After their successful prison escape, Ray, Emma, and the other Grace Field children above the age of five venture out into the new world that they know nothing about.
✦ What will they possibly encounter in this world ruled by demons - and demons alo...
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Ninelie stirred from her slumber, her eyelids parting with all the reluctance of a rusty gate creaking open. As consciousness slowly reclaimed her, a searing discomfort in her throat and a nauseating queasiness invaded her senses. She reached up to her face with a languid, trembling hand, the movement careful, as though she was navigating a labyrinth of pain. Her fingertips met her temples, where she tenderly massaged, hoping to soothe the relentless agony.
The urge to vomit clawed at her, threatening to erupt, but she clenched her jaw and pressed her palm to her mouth, a familiar pain that she'd begrudgingly come to know.
'Those demons.'
Her bleary eyes roamed the surroundings, a world swimming through the haze of her affliction. In the distance, she spotted Sonju, an imposing figure, his muscular form leaning casually against a colossal tree, the pointed tip of his spear cradled in his hands. He was unmoving, a sentinel in the quietude of the forest. Ninelie averted her gaze from the demon and scanned for Mujika, but the girl was nowhere to be found.
With determination, Ninelie pushed herself up, rising to her feet, her eyes darting to and fro in search of her missing companion. The crackling of wood caught her attention, and she turned to find the source. A log was tossed into the campfire, startling her.
"She will return shortly," Sonju's voice, deep and steady, informed her.
Ninelie's eyes flickered to the demon horse, and then back to Sonju. She settled back onto the ground, brows furrowing as her ears throbbed with a disorienting ringing. Her palms instinctively covered her ears, fingers resting at the base of her skull. She employed a technique Isabella had once taught her, gently tapping the back of her head with her index fingers to alleviate the distressing tinnitus.
Her watchful gaze remained locked on Sonju, the ringing slowly subsiding. It was as if they were trapped in an unspoken truce, the silence broken only by the flickering fire.
All at once, an electrifying shift in the atmosphere sent shivers down the spine. The verdant forest, a serene backdrop to their encounter, seemed to hold its breath. The dappled sunlight filtering through the dense canopy played a game of hide-and-seek, casting shadows on Sonju's rugged face. His knuckles turned a stark white as he clutched his spear, his fingers wrapping around the ancient wood with a vice-like intensity. His steely eyes, which had been studying Ninelie with an unsettling focus, now narrowed with an almost predatory intensity.
Ninelie, moments before, had been growing accustomed to the demon's presence. A false sense of security had begun to creep into her consciousness, and she let her guard down ever so slightly. She released a gentle exhale, only to inhale sharply, her senses now in a heightened state of alarm.
